Columns

Last in a series. Read parts one and two.  In my first column of this series, I described my relationship with antibiotics. In the second, I broke down the characters in the musical “Titanic” and mentioned those I thought were most likely to be affected by a crisis…

For two decades, plummeting pulmonary function percentages terrorized me, weight flew from my body, and my diagnoses list stretched longer than a CVS receipt. Trips to the clinic featured grim reports detailing my body’s ruin: estimated organ expiration dates, fistfuls of prescription slips to counteract the destructive side…

In elementary school, the holiday season was always a time of illness. With cold and flu season being driven, in large part, by Thanksgiving travels and family gatherings, it was inevitable that kids would return to school with whatever respiratory bug some uncle flew into Alabama from North Carolina,…

I remember the first time I was funny — the year was 2010 and I was 17. I know what you’re thinking: “Will, how come it took you 17 years to be funny? How does that even make sense?” For many years of my life, I was way too serious…

I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to books. I get so excited when new books are delivered to my home. Yes, I still read physical books. Am I alone in that? I’m not afraid to admit I’m old-fashioned about the healing power of physical books. They’ve changed…

Over 20 years ago, John Mayer sang, “Your body is a wonderland.” While that song isn’t about me, I do agree that my body is a wonderland. And by wonderland, I mean that it’s a wonder I’ve made it to 30. The human body is absolutely fascinating in…

Every night when I came home from caring for our daughter in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), I would gather our mail to sort through it. It was a task I used to distract myself and make life seem a little more normal. As the holiday season approached, I…

Imagine this: As an established patient with lifelong illnesses, you walk into any pharmacy, slide an access pass, and walk out with your prescription drug refills in less than five minutes. It didn’t require you to phone in your prescription. And you didn’t have to talk to anyone, unless you…

There is power in finding a community where you belong. For example, many people love Marvel and bond with one another over their shared love of the iconic movies and comic books. I’ve always loved Batman because he’s an outsider who’s spent his life trying to fight corruption. He just…

“How is this possible? We did everything right!” I couldn’t comprehend what my daughter Claire’s pulmonologist was telling me at her quarterly cystic fibrosis (CF) clinic visit. He explained that her most recent chest X-rays showed signs of disease progression. She was only 2 years old. Up until that…